We are having an out-of-town guest for 4 days over Memorial Day weekend. We love to cook, and are looking forward to hosting, with all that means in terms of cooking something special over the holiday weekend (which will also be right after we move into our new apartment next weekend, with a bigger kitchen, and - YAY! - a dishwasher).
I’ve got a ton of cookbooks, and cook vegetarian a fair amount, but so far I am stumped for festive, yummmy vegan breakfast ideas. All my weekend breakfast standards seem to involve dairy products or eggs, and this friend is somewhat of a late riser, so by the time we all get moving in the morning, I anticipate we are going to want something heftier than toast and coffee. So help me - what can I cook for my friend? He’d probably be content with cereal and soy milk, but that’s so boring! (Not to mention unhospitable.)
I’d also be thrilled if someone could suggest vegan egg substitutes for baking things like muffins, or for scrambling (we had a breakfast-for-dinner last night that would have been vegan except for the scrambled eggs; it was corn tortillas with refried black beans, scrambled eggs, and salsa, with fried ripe plantains on the side. If it were just beans and salsa in the tortillas, it would be kind of boring, no?)
I’ve had vegan peanut butter cookies where banana was used as an egg substitute.
Not bad. Not great–no comparison to the still warm chocolate chip cookies made with butter the same person made a week or two before–but at least our vegan instructor could enjoy them.
Banana would probably work even better in a coffee cake type substance.
I’m fond of that, myself, but we need more fortification before going out to tromp around all day. Protein is good, and vegan protein sources are even harder to find while eating out in touristy areas than they are in my kitchen. (Plus my friend will have just finished grad school, and my kitchen is much cheaper.)
I was just reading in The Complete Tightwad Gazette that soy flour (oddly enough) substitutes for eggs very well in baked goods. I’m not sure where in the book I saw it, but I’ll see if I can find it again. However, that info might give you something to go on; searching for proportions and all.
I’ve heard even carnivores like Isa Chandra Moss’s recipes.
She has a vegan scramble and lots of recipes for baked goodies…and I think even vegan french toast. Most of the recipes are in her book (Vegan with a Vengeance) but some are also on the Post-Punk Kitchen site.
not a vegan but sometimes interested in what they eat,
a.
PS: She has a breakfast section right on the front. Fronch toast?
What about homemade oatmeal with cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, a teeny sprinkle of salt, and a handful of almonds and raisins? You can make it with soymilk and - presto! - have a nice, hearty, breakfast-y meal with no animal products.
You can also have breakfast burritos with back beans, onions and peppers plus soy cheese. If you season everything well, it’s delicious and very filling (and as a bonus can be used as a snack, lunch or dinner later).
Vegan Sioux Indian Pudding and Tomato Melon Salad with Basil and Mint
It’s a little kooky, but I think the combo might go well together, and even if it doesn’t, at least it’s interesting and probably something your guest has never eaten. Variety is the spice of life, after all.
The Indian Pudding is an American classic and should be filling and start the day off right, plus I’m a big proponent of dessert for breakfast.I basically cribbed the recipe for the Indian Pudding here from Devlin Burke. I just substituted the almond milk and stipulated granulated sugar.
Vegan Sioux Indian Pudding
3 cups almond milk
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup white “granulated sugar” (make sure that the package says “granulated sugar”, this will ensure that it is beet sugar and not cane sugar which sometimes uses animal bones in the filtering process)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Oil (vegetable) a 1 quart baking dish. In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook almond milk until bubbles form at edges. Slowly stir cornmeal and molasses into milk. Continue to cook and stir until thickened, 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Pour into prepared dish. Bake in preheated oven 2 hours, until set. Serve hot or cold. Tomato Melon Salad with Basil and Mint
1/2 of a cantaloupe peeled and cubed
1/2 of a honeydew melon peeled and cubed
10 oz basket of cherry tomatoes halved
1 small bunch of fresh mint leaves
1 small bunch of fresh basil leaves
Juice of one lime
1 tbls. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Prepare the melon and tomatoes and add to a large bowl. Bunch the basil and mint leaves together into a tight cigar and chiffonade, add to the fruit. Squeeze in the juice of a lime, sprinkle in the sugar and salt and toss thoroughly. Chill or serve immediately.
I agree on the black bean breakfast burritos. You can get soy-based vegan cheese to sprinkle on top, too, or you can sub a tofu scramble for eggs if you want to make them extra-filling. Yum!
Here’s an interesting list of vegan-friendly breakfast and brunch ideas, along with links to other sites that may be of interest. The vegan pancakes caught my eye… you could serve with a dusting of icing sugar and a nice fresh fruit salad to make a nice brunch.
